Disclaimer: All of the characters in this story belong to Konami. If, for some reason, you thought that the story located on a fanfiction website under the category of Castlevania belonged to me, well, you're wrong.

Author's Notes: I honestly don't know if this will be a one shot or not, but the idea just popped into my head and I had to write it down. If the response is generally positive, I'll consider continuing.

Castlevania: Tears of Fate

The ram bashed against the wooden door again, further splintering it and causing several cracks. It groaned under the pressure, but firmly held, denying access to the large mob gathered outside. The group holding the ram pulled back again, and then ran forward, once again slamming it against the door. Its gradual breaking continued, and the voices of the surrounding people grew to a cacophony of noise.

Inside was a different story. There were only two people in the small house. One was a middle-aged woman, her face lined with worry but filled with compassion. The other was a young teenage boy with long silver hair. His facial features, which made him seem older than he was, were currently contorted in rage, staring at the slowly splintering door.

"Why, mother?" he asked, his tone as angry as his features. "Why do they do this? We have done nothing to them!"

"They're scared, Adrian," the woman replied, looking concernedly at her son. "They don't know much of you or your father, and they are scared. So they strike at what they can, while they can."

"Fear?" the boy named Adrian said, turning to face his mother. "They do this for some pathetic fear of father and me? I will show them what it is they fear, then! If they so desire to incur our wrath, let them face the consequences!"

Adrian's hand reached towards his belt, his hand gripping the hilt of a sword located at his hip. His mother placed her hand over his, though, stopping him just before he removed it from its sheath. He looked up, anger still evident, but also curiosity.

"No, Adrian," she said in explanation. "Doing that will only vindicate them, show them that you are something to be feared and hated. To be scared of something you do not understand is a natural instinct, and we cannot fault them for it."

Adrian shook off his mother's hand and gripped the hilt again, but he did not pull the sword out. Instead, he said, in calmer tones, "As it is a natural instinct to protect those that we love. I will not let them harm you, mother!"

The woman shook her head and placed both her hands on her son's shoulders. She looked him right in the eyes and smiled as she continued.

"You must rise above that, Adrian. If you do not match their violence and hate, eventually they will see that they have misjudged you. It will take time, but it is the only course. Please, Adrian, do it for me."

Adrian broke his mother's stare, looking down at his own balled-up fists. They started to shake as he tried to tighten his grip further. Eventually he gave up, letting his arms drop back to his sides. He looked back up at his mother, and this time tears had begun to form in his eyes.

"But, mother, I –"

"Shhhh," the woman shushed him, running a hand through his hair as she faintly smiled at him. "It will be okay, Adrian. I will miss you, and you will miss me, but know that it happened for the best. Know that I did it so you might know acceptance."

"Mother," he began, "I…I…I…"

Adrian couldn't find the words to continue, though, as emotion began to overtake him. The tears began to streak down his face more freely, but he stubbornly kept his expression as stoic as possible. His mother hugged him then, patting him on the back to comfort him.

"Goodbye, Adrian. Please, watch your father for me. I fear what this might do to him."

Adrian would have dearly liked to have said goodbye to his mother, but the lump in his throat and the dampness in his eyes refused to allow him. Still sobbing lightly, his form began to change, growing smaller and becoming more rodent-like. Soon, where Adrian once stood there was a small bat. It flew silently out of the one window located in the house. Seconds later, the door finally gave, and the angry mob descended upon what was now a lone woman

The bat soared through the sky, trying to take itself as far from the town as it possibly could. It flew until its wings were exhausted, until it could not bring itself to flap its wings just one more time. It slowly descended into a forest clearing, looking less and less like a bat as it came closer to the ground. By the time it reached the dirt, it was no longer a bat, but the boy Adrian again.

As soon as he landed, he fell down onto his hands and knees, still sobbing. He couldn't control himself, couldn't stop the tears from breaking his normally expressionless face. There were not many people in his life; his father and mother were the only two he had really known. And now his mother was gone, taken by some angry populace.

Adrian screamed in defiance and rage, an unintelligible howl of grief. He stood up again, walking over to a tree. Balling his hands into fists, he punched the tree as hard as he could, denting it and badly bruising his hand. He didn't care, though. He needed to hit something.

"It isn't fair!" he shouted, striking the tree with his other hand. He had learned from his father that he would face the scorn and prejudice of the world because of his heritage. Adrian had come to accept that, had cared little for the opinion of humans. But now, because of their blind ignorance, his mother was gone. They were free to enact their skewed view of justice based around false ideas, while he must sit back and watch if he wished to change anything.

"It isn't fair!" he shouted again, continuing to pummel the tree. The tree's trunk snapped and groaned, and his hands began to bleed, but he didn't even notice. Tears stained his cheeks as he continued his work, trying to vent all of his frustration. It seemed like his anger would last forever, but eventually he just collapsed, leaning against the tree. He held his face in his hands and continued to cry, loudly and uncontrollably.

"It is alright, Adrian."

Adrian felt a hand on his shoulder and looked up at the form that had appeared before him. Just as he expected, it was his father. The sight did catch him off guard in one respect, though. In all the years that Adrian had lived, his father had been a cold, impassive man, seeming to care little for anything. However, his eyes were now filled with understanding, and even sadness, as he looked upon his son.

"It's alright," he repeated quietly.

Adrian began to get a hold of himself, his eyes producing tears less frequently and the noise of his crying began to die down. After a few moments he had stopped altogether, though his face was still damp. His father patted him on his shoulder, but he did not smile.

"One day we will teach those humans the price for angering us as they have today. But that time has not yet come. Let us go back home, Adrian. It has been a long day for both of us."

Adrian's father morphed into a bat, though a much larger one than Adrian, and flew off, seemingly flying into the moon. Adrian looked up at the image for a few moments, deep in thought. What his father said was comforting, and exactly what he had wanted to hear, but part of it did not sit well with him. Adrian did not understand why, for after that, he hated the humans, he hated them and wished for vengeance upon them.

At least, he thought that he did. His mother's words came back clearly to him, ringing in his ears over and over again. He shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts, but to no avail. For now, though, Adrian was tired. He put aside any moral quandary he might be having and morphed into a bat once more. He then took off into the air, headed for the great castle that he called home.